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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

School Prom - outrageous expectations?

99 replies

SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 28/04/2010 09:46

This is new territory for me. DD is 16, leaves school this year after GCSEs to go to college. The prom, in June, seems to be a leaving party & I vaguely remember that last year some girl turned up in a helicopter.

So, all talk in our house atm is of dresses, shoes, bags; tiara or bow? Hair up or down? etc.

And now she wants
this to take her there. Damn that Katie Price!

I have suggested a) friend with motorbike and b)friend with open-topped sports car, or c) my car. a) being greeted with distain & b) dismissed as 'tacky'. c) - 'I'd rather walk!'

She's going with bf, DS (her twin) is going in a limo with his date & others (booked by some other poor sap parent.

So what do ^normal^ people do? This feels like having a kid's party with a present list at John Lewis - a tad OTT.

OP posts:
SlartyBartFast · 28/04/2010 09:49

beejeesus to your link

i know lots tend to club together and have limos,
i like the sound of a motorbike personally.

thursdaynamechange · 28/04/2010 09:50

I would look at her utterly baffled and say it's not your wedding, I will drop you off in the car or you can walk.

You don't need to go overboard like all the others

rubyrubyruby · 28/04/2010 09:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mumblechum · 28/04/2010 09:51

God how utterly chavtastic that pink carriage is, esp. bearing in mind the background in the photo!

I can understand why she wouldn't go on a motorbike, but what's the problem with an open topped sports car?

Please tell me boys don't get this hyped up about proms...

thursdaynamechange · 28/04/2010 09:51

At dd's primary school they had limo's - my face did this

luckily dd was all 'environmental' at the time so I just sniffed and muttered about it and then she didn't want to go in one.

It's all utterly ridiculous.

SlartyBartFast · 28/04/2010 09:52

the carriage you linked to actually says it is available for gay weddings. perhaps you should point this out to her

Disenchanted3 · 28/04/2010 09:52

Durrrr... hire a helicopter!

noddyholder · 28/04/2010 09:52

My ds has this this year and I have heard no talk of bloody helicopters and chav carriages!He did however request a v expensive suit and was given the appropriate response of NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hassled · 28/04/2010 09:53

My older DCs were dropped off at the prom by DH - no other options were given .

Some gopping Katie Price nightmare is not a normal expectation. Even if you could afford it, you can guarantee there will be a point in her life when your DD will look back and cringe. It will haunt her.

If she'd rather walk, let her walk. She's being a Promzilla.

Celery · 28/04/2010 09:54

I'm with Thursdaynamechange.

thursdaynamechange · 28/04/2010 09:55

Loving promzilla

MissAnneElk · 28/04/2010 09:55

DD1s prom is this year too. I will not be arranging any special transport to get her there, although if a few of her friends do decide to hire the standard limo to get there and the price seems OK I may relent. She seems OK about the prospect of me dropping her off in my very old and uncool car. I have said I may consider dropping her off in DHs which is less embarassing .

Boak to the pink carriage link btw.

noddyholder · 28/04/2010 09:55

Tell her she can have the horse but no carriage!

rubyrubyruby · 28/04/2010 09:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SirBoobAlot · 28/04/2010 09:57

Is she normally a bit of a princess, and one of The Popular Girls? I remember a lot of girls turned up in limos etc at my prom.

Without being rude, she needs to get a bit of a grip.

A friends dad dropped us off, some people walked - it was only the pillocks Popular People that arrived in flashy things. Same with the dresses - I remember one girls being so wide they had to open the fire exit to get her in

SlartyBartFast · 28/04/2010 09:58

its like payback time for no dressing up days throughout secondary school. they save it all up for the bloody prom

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 28/04/2010 10:00

Thursday...that's exactly what I said - weddings.

I love promzilla too.

The 'limo going back & forth' thing is a good idea - it's only a mile to the school. Thanks!

OP posts:
Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 28/04/2010 10:03

Yeah, I'm trying to be imaginative here too, I'm sure I could come up with a horse. She said 'What next, a tractor?' Well, funnily enough there was a bride a coule of years ago who went to the church on a tractor, but I like my face the way it is so I didn't mention that one. She is getting a little hysterical tense

I thought the motorbike would be cool... Maybe it wouldn't suit the tiara though?

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 28/04/2010 10:04

i'm trying to persuade my dd and her mates to all take the bus together......i thought it would be different and a bit of a laugh!!

Original poster
SmellsLikeTeenSweat · 28/04/2010 10:05

Sir boob - it's a sweet dress, short, and more party than wedding. But it is pink...

OP posts:
SethStarkaddersMum · 28/04/2010 10:07

"Of course you can darling if you pay for it yourself!"

pagwatch · 28/04/2010 10:09

Is it a bad taste prom. Tairas and pink WagWagons?

Your mistake is to engage with her on the subject.
If my DD asked me how she was getting to prom I would ask did she want a lift or were her and her friends planning to walk. Any questions about Bad Taste Transport would be met with the hoots of derision they desreve.

I have a 16 year old son. I am quite happy to say to him about somethings that my job is to save him from himself. DD will get the same.
" Darling - I am saying no so that in twenty years time you cannot berate me for letting you turn up at prom looking like a mindless, vapid twat. Think of it as an act of kindness"

Doodleydoo · 28/04/2010 10:10

Oh Good Lord, what the hell has happened to our teens, I was bloody lucky to have a new dress for our school leaving disco and I went to it in a coach with 40 other people so perhaps I am an old fuddy duddy but I would tell her to walk! We aren't in America! (I would also point out that we are in the middle of a recession and you could say if she had it then there would be no new clothes, no pocket money, nothing for college as she would have spent her quota for the year - flipping heck I have realised I have it all in front of me!)

SethStarkaddersMum · 28/04/2010 10:13

(are people really that fussed about the taste issue? I think that carriage is hilarious and would not have a problem if it was my dd if it was free.... but I assume it would be many hundreds of pounds.)

GoingPostal · 28/04/2010 10:14

lol at the idea of an open topped car being "tacky" while the pink carriage and feather-plumed horses is presumably utterly chic and fabulous!

agree with Seth - if your DD wants to save up and pay for it herself then why not. would she travel alone in it or get together with friends - could work in the same way as limo on that basis (though not sure the horses would be too happy)